Staffordshire Ware Cottage Pottery Mark Query - Stafford Knot W K

by Gordon Hofer
(Santee CA)

Staffordshire Ware Cottage Pottery Mark Query - Stafford Knot W K

Staffordshire Ware Cottage Pottery Mark Query - Stafford Knot W K:- At a local thrift shop, I purchased three pieces. Two are Staffordshire Ware poodles, about 4 inches tall, and one is a two story cottage about 5 inches high, probably a duplex, with two red doors.

All are marked "Staffordshire Ware" in an arc. Beneath the words is a Staffordshire knot. In the left loop is the letter "W", and in the right loop is the letter "K". Beneath the knot is the word, "England."

Also on the cottage are the numerals 474 followed at a short distance by a question mark.Possibly a number 474 out of a run of some then unknown total???

Great lead! Many thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge on this thread.

My Goddens encyclopedia don't have much on William Kent - and do not show a WK pottery mark associated them (just a moulded WBK monogram) which is why I missed it. They are showing the standard mark being a Staffordshire knot with the 'Kent' beneath - along with 'Staffordshire Ware' and 'Made in England'.

I dug around and found a bit more information on William Kent on www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/629.htm

The photos on this page show both cottages and dogs. Also other sources confirm 'poodles' are were made by William Kent.

The history of the William Kent story seems convoluted and not too well documented (particularly in Goddens), but to cut a long story short, a long established potting family called the 'Parr' family seem to have gone into business or transferred their pottery to William Kent in the 1890's.

The Parr family were Staffordshire potters documented on various records and censuses from the early 1800's with just about every member of their extended family involved over successive generations in producing ranges of the, now very collectible, Staffordshire flatbacks - which were then very cheap and cheerful novelty wares.

At the end of the Victorian glory days in the 1890's, there seemed to be some sort of blending of ownership with William Kent which went something like:-

'Thomas Parr' became 'Kent & Parr' which became 'William Kent' (apparently in around 1894).

Goddens picks up the story only from 1944 when it sites William Kent (Porcelains) Ltd as having been founded. They made fancy ceramic wares until 1962 when they went into electrical porcelains.

I discovered also that Parr / Kent Staffordshire flatbacks are still being produced from the original moulds and can be still be bought new complete with the original William Kent pottery mark (the owners still franchise production to this day) - contact me if you want further info - peteradmin@theclayartist.com)